Garment with compression-generating sections

ABSTRACT

A garment with compression-generating sections includes: at least one body section including a portion that is tubular when the garment is worn; and at least one compression-generating section. The body section is stretchable so as to fit a wearer&#39;s body. The compression-generating section is disposed in such a manner that, when the garment is worn, it is located above a body region where skin sagging occurs and extends in a direction along Langer&#39;s lines. The compression-generating section has lower stretchability than the body section at least in an insertion direction in order to increase compression provided by a portion of the garment where the compression-generating section is disposed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a garment with compression-generatingsections.

BACKGROUND ART

As a configuration of a garment that shapes the outline (skin sagging)of body regions covered with the garment or the body shape of a wearerwhen the garment is worn, it has been proposed to make partial change inthe knit structure of the garment or to provide patches in the garment,in order to impart a body-shaping function to the garment by causingparticular portions of the garment to exhibit a different tighteningforce (compression) from other portions. For example, Patent Document 1proposes a garment for shaping the buttocks of a wearer, in which a knitstructure section that exhibits a powerful shaping effect for thebuttocks by causing strong compression is disposed at a suitableposition. With this configuration, the garment can lift up the buttockswithout causing edge parts thereof to dig into the wearer's buttockswhen the garment is worn, so that the buttocks and the periphery thereofcan be shaped into a natural shape.

CITATION LIST Patent Document(s)

Patent Document 1: JP 2006-233344 A

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

A conventional body-shaping garment, such as the one described above,can shape a wearer's body immediately after it is put on. However, thegarment may get loose as the wearer moves, which may cause edge parts ofthe garment to dig into the wearer's skin, for example. Thus, theconventional body-shaping garment has a problem in that it cannot keepthe shaped body silhouette. Furthermore, increasing a tightening forcein order to prevent the garment from getting loose may deterioratewearing comfort or even may make the edge parts of the garment moreliable to dig into the wearer's skin.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a garment with compression-generating sections, which can shapea wearer's body into a favorable silhouette by smoothing sagging skinand also can keep the silhouette even when the wearer moves, whilegiving less tightened feeling to the wearer.

Means for Solving Problem

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides agarment with a compression-generating section, including: at least onebody section including a portion that is tubular when the garment isworn; and at least one compression-generating section, wherein the bodysection is stretchable so as to fit a wearer's body, thecompression-generating section is disposed in such a manner that, whenthe garment is worn, the compression-generating section is located abovea body region where skin sagging occurs and extends in a direction alongLanger's lines, and the compression-generating section has lowerstretchability than the body section at least in an insertion directionin order to increase compression provided by a portion of the garmentwhere the compression-generating section is disposed.

Effects of the Invention

With the above-described configuration, the garment withcompression-generating sections according to the present invention canshape a wearer's body into a favorable silhouette by smoothing saggingskin and also can keep the silhouette even when the wearer moves, whilegiving less tightened feeling to the wearer. The garment withcompression-generating sections according to the present invention cansmooth sagging skin and wrinkles in, e.g., above-knee regions, the upperarms, the back, and the like of a wearer, and also can keep the shapedstate, so that it can provide a slimmer body silhouette.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B show leggings 100 according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention. FIG. 1A is a front view of the leggings 100, and FIG.1B is a rear view of the leggings 100.

FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate how compressions are applied bythe leggings 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2A is aschematic view showing the state where the leggings 100 are worn, andFIG. 2B is a schematic view showing the state where conventionalleggings having a body-shaping function are worn.

FIGS. 3A to 3F show variations of compression-generating sections in thepresent invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show results of a wearing evaluation test on theleggings according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a rear view showing a shirt 200 according to a secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows results of a wearing evaluation test on the shirt 200according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 show results of a wearing evaluation test on a shirt according toa modified example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a rear view showing a bodysuit 300 according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates how to put on the bodysuit 300 according to the thirdembodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates an effect obtained by wearing the bodysuit 300according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 10, (a) is a rear viewshowing a naked state, (b) is a rear view showing the state where thebodysuit 300 according to the third embodiment is worn, and (c) is arear view showing the state where a conventional bodysuit is worn.

FIGS. 11A and 11B schematically show the distribution of Langer's lineson the human body. FIG. 11A is a front view partially showing the humanbody, and FIG. 11B is a rear view partially showing the human body.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The garment with compression-generating sections according to thepresent invention will be described below with reference to illustrativeexamples. It is to be noted, however, that the present invention is byno means limited to or restricted by the following illustrativeexamples.

First Embodiment

FIGS. 1A and 1B show leggings 100 according to the first embodiment ofthe present invention. FIG. 1A is a front view of the leggings 100, andFIG. 1B is a rear view of the leggings 100. The leggings 100 of thepresent embodiment, which are a garment with compression-generatingsections, include: body sections 101 each including a portion that istubular when the leggings 100 are worn; and compression-generatingsections 102. The term “compression” as used herein means a pressureapplied to a body region of a wearer covered with the garment when thegarment is worn. The leggings 100 of the present embodiment are legwearthat is provided with a crotch section and covers from the thighs tobelow-knee regions as well as the waist of a wearer.

In the present embodiment, the leggings 100 are formed by sewing thebody sections 101 and the compression-generating sections 102 together.The body sections 101 are stretchable so as to fit a wearer's body. Thecompression-generating sections 102 have lower stretchability than thebody sections 101 at least in an insertion direction. Among the bodyregions covered with the leggings 100, skin sagging is liable to occurin above-knee regions. The compression-generating sections 102 aredisposed in such a manner that, when the leggings 100 are worn, they arelocated above the above-knee regions where the skin sagging occurs andextend in directions along the Langer's lines that are in the above-kneeregions on the front side of the thighs. The term “insertion direction”as used herein means different directions depending on which portions ofthe garment include the compression-generating sections. When thecompression-generating sections are disposed in a bodice of an upperbody garment, the insertion direction is a vertical direction. When thecompression-generating sections are disposed in sleeves of an upper bodygarment, the insertion direction is a sleeve length direction. In thecase of a bottom garment, the insertion direction is a direction alongwhich a wearer inserts the legs when putting on the bottom garment,i.e., the direction extending from a waist portion toward leg edges inthe bottom garment.

FIGS. 11A and 11B schematically show the distribution of Langer's lineson the human body. FIG. 11A is a front view partially showing the humanbody, and FIG. 11B is a rear view partially showing the human body.Lines shown on the human body diagrams are Langer's lines. “Langer'slines”, which are also called skin cleavage lines, are lines indicatingthe directions of straight lines formed by numerous holes obtained whena cadaver are punctured with a conical tool having a circular-shaped tipthat is 2 mm in diameter. Langer's lines coincide with the alignment ofthe skin connective tissue, and the skin exhibits higher extensibilityin directions orthogonal to the Langer's lines (C. Langer). Theinventors of the present invention found out through studies that theskin moves relatively less smoothly in the direction along the Langer'slines and relatively smoothly in the direction orthogonal to theLanger's lines.

In the present invention, the compression-generating sections 102 aredisposed so as to extend in directions along the Langer's lines. Withthis configuration, when a wearer puts on the leggings 100, thecompression-generating sections 102 push the wearer's skin upward, i.e.,in the direction orthogonal to the Langer's lines that pass around theabove-knee regions. The compression-generating sections 102 have lowerstretchability than the body sections at least in the insertiondirection (the leg insertion direction when putting on the leggings).With this configuration, the compression-generating sections 102 canlift up sagging skin and wrinkles in the above-knee regions efficiently.Also, in the state where the leggings 100 are worn, thecompression-generating sections 102, which are disposed in such a mannerthat the longitudinal directions thereof extend along the Langer'slines, can prevent the leggings 100 from slipping down. Thus, thesagging skin and wrinkles in the above-knee regions that have beenlifted up when the wearer put on the leggings 100 can be held firmly.Therefore, the leggings 100 can shape a wearer's body into a favorablesilhouette by smoothing the sagging skin and also can keep thesilhouette even when the wearer moves. Moreover, it is not necessary toprovide the compression-generating sections 102 so as to extend over theentire circumferences of the tubular portions of the body sections 101.This can reduce tightened feeling given to the wearer.

FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate how compressions are applied bythe leggings 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2A is aschematic view showing the state where the leggings 100 are worn, andFIG. 2B is a schematic view showing the state where conventionalleggings having a body-shaping function are worn. In FIGS. 2A and 2B,the arrows indicate the direction and the level of compression. Thewidth of the arrow is directly proportional to the compression level. Asshown in FIG. 2B, in the conventional leggings, compressions are appliedso as to tighten the entire circumference in the circumferentialdirection, and the conventional leggings are designed so that, forexample, the compression level is changed in a stepwise manner in orderto apply stronger compressions to a part where the body shaping isdesired (gradation effect). However, the conventional leggings, whichtighten the entire circumferences of the legs in the circumferentialdirection, may give tightened feeling to a wearer, and also, edge partsof the leggings may dig into the wearer's skin in the case where thewearer has a high degree of skin sagging. In contrast, as shown in FIG.2A, according to the leggings 100 of the present embodiment, thecompression is increased at portions where the compression-generatingsections 102 are disposed. As a result of diligent studies, theinventors of the present invention found out that, by providing thecompression-generating sections 102 in above-knee regions where skinsagging and wrinkles are liable to occur so as to extend in directionsalong the Langer's lines and lifting up sagging skin and wrinkles whenputting on the leggings 100, a body-shaping function can be obtainedwithout tightening the entire circumferences of the legs in thecircumferential direction. On the basis of this finding, a tighteningpressure is not applied in the circumferential direction to regions witha high degree of skin sagging as in the conventional body-shapinggarment. This brings about an advantageous effect that, when theleggings are worn, the difference in height on the wearer's body line isless liable to be formed and edge parts of the leggings are less liableto dig into the wearer's skin.

In the present invention, the material of the body sections 101 is notparticularly limited as long as it is stretchable so as to fit awearer's body. The material of the body sections 101 may be a warpknitted fabric or a circular knitted fabric, for example.

In the present embodiment, the compression-generating sections 102preferably have an anti-slip function. As an example of the anti-slipfunction, the compression-generating sections 102 preferably areconfigured so that, for example, when the leggings 100 are worn, africtional force per unit area between each compression-generatingsection 102 and a wearer's body region in contact therewith isrelatively large as compared with a frictional force per unit areabetween each body section 101 and a wearer's body region in contacttherewith. With this configuration, when the wearer puts on the leggings100, the compression-generating section 102 can lift up the sagging skinand wrinkles in, e.g., the above-knee regions utilizing the frictionalforce, and besides, the compression-generating section 102 can hold thesagging skin and wrinkles that have been lifted up without slippingdown.

In the present embodiment, the frictional force is not particularlylimited as long as it is sufficient to lift up the sagging skin andwrinkles in, e.g., the above-knee regions when the wearer puts on theleggings 100 and also sufficient to hold the sagging skin and wrinklesthat have been lifted up. The compression-generating sections 102 may beformed by resin printing or using a nanomaterial or the like, forexample.

The compression-generating sections 102 may be parts of the knittedfabric constituting the body sections 101. In this case, thecompression-generating sections 102 may be provided by changing the knitstructure of the body sections 101 only in portions corresponding to thecompression-generating sections 102 or by changing the kind of the yarnonly in the portions corresponding to the compression-generatingsections 102.

In the present embodiment, the compression-generating sections 102 arestretched in the thigh width direction when the leggings 100 are worn.Thus, the compression-generating sections 102 preferably are formedusing a fabric that exhibits an anti-slip effect even in a stretchedstate. Such a fabric may be, for example, a knitted fabric including: astretchable base structure formed by warp knitting; and a float stitch(pile) structure formed by a float yarn that is composed of long orshort fibers and shows increase in surface area when bent under acompressive force. In this knitted fabric, the float yarn is shifted indifferent directions every time the float yarn is interwoven with thebase structure along the warp direction, and the float stitch structureis exposed on the external side of the base structure, excluding bothends of the float stitch structure in the width direction, in which thefloat yarn is interwoven with the base structure (this knitted fabric isalso referred to as “material W” hereinafter). In this material W, thefloat yarn is not interwoven with the base structure at portions otherthan both the ends thereof in the direction orthogonal to the knittingdirection of the knitted fabric, and the float stitch structureexcluding both the ends thereof is exposed to the external side of thebase structure. Thus, when the material W is stretched in the warp(knitting) direction and thus shrinks in the width direction, the floatstitch structure at portions other than both the ends thereof interwovenwith the base structure bents and thus is brought into a state where thefloat stitch structure bulges out on the external side of the knittedfabric. Thus, the material W can maintain a large surface area even whenstretched in the warp direction. Accordingly, the material W can exhibitan anti-slip effect by causing a large frictional force when it is incontact with the skin.

The material W is preferable also for the reason that, by disposing eachof the compression-generating sections 102 formed of the material W insuch a manner that the warp direction thereof coincides with or extendsalong the thigh width direction of the body section 101, a highfrictional force is caused between the compression-generating section102 and the skin in contact therewith even when the leggings 100 areworn and the compression-generating sections 102 are in a stretchedstate. Part or the whole of the float yarn may be a so-called nanofibercomposed of long or short fibers and having an outer diameter of 1 μm orless. More specifically, the float yarn may be a nanofiber formed bysplitting or melt spinning, for example. This increases the frictionalforce greatly, so that the material W can exhibit a higher anti-slipeffect.

In the present embodiment, the compression-generating sections 102 areformed by attaching separate members to the body sections 101. It is tobe noted, however, that the present invention is not limited thereto.For example, the compression-generating sections 102 may be formed byapplying a resin to portions of the body sections 101 to lower thestretchability of the portions, or by changing the structure of portionsof the body sections 101 to lower the stretchability of the portions.Further, the compression-generating sections 102 also may be formedutilizing discharge printing or etching. Still further, thecompression-generating sections 102 also may be formed by changing thestretchability of a knitted fabric according to a method such aspartially changing the kind of the yarn used to form the knitted fabric.

As described above, according to the present invention, sagging skin andwrinkles can be lifted up and held by the compression-generatingsections. Thus, the sagging skin and the like can be smoothedeffectively, whereby the wearer's body can be shaped into a favorablesilhouette. Furthermore, according to the present invention, thesilhouette can be kept even when the wearer moves, while giving lesstightened feeling given to the wearer.

As shown in FIG. 1A, in the present embodiment, thecompression-generating sections 102 are disposed in above-knee portionson the front side of thigh portions of the body sections 101. It is tobe noted, however, that the present invention is not limited thereto. Aslong as the compression-generating sections 102 are disposed so as toextend in directions along the Langer's lines, they may extend to thevicinity of the groin or to the back side of the thighs.

FIGS. 3A to 3F show variations of the compression-generating sections102 in the leggings of the present invention. In the present invention,each of the compression-generating sections 102 may be formed as asingle strip member, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3D. Alternatively, thecompression-generating sections 102 may be formed by disposing aplurality of strip members so as to be spaced apart from each other, asshown in FIGS. 3B, 3C, 3E, and 3F. Preferably, thecompression-generating sections 102 are formed by disposing a pluralityof strip members so as to be spaced apart from each other as shown inFIGS. 3B, 3C, 3E, and 3F, because the compression-generating sections102 can follow the movement of the skin more easily. In FIG. 3D, thecompression-generating sections 102 are formed so as to extend along theLanger's lines immediately above the knees, and they extend only tolower positions as compared with the compression-generating sections 102shown in FIG. 3A. When the compression-generating sections 102 areformed so as to extend along the Langer's lines in a broader region asshown in FIG. 3A, it is possible to obtain a higher compression, inother words, a stronger lift-up force, as compared with the case of thecompression-generating sections 102 shown in FIG. 3D. Thus, by adjustingthe manner in which the compression-generating sections 102 extend alongthe Langer's lines, it is possible to provide the compression-generatingsections that generate different compressions using the same material.Each of the compression-generating sections 102 may be formed in alinear shape, or may be formed in a curved shape as shown in FIG. 3F.Although the present embodiment is directed to an example where each ofthe compression-generating sections 102 is formed in a strip shape, thepresent invention is not limited thereto. For example, thecompression-generating sections may be formed in various shapes withdecorative designs, such as floral patterns and geometric patterns.

Each of the compression-generating sections preferably has a width from1.5 cm to 8 cm, more preferably from 3 cm to 7 cm. Each of thecompression-generating sections may be formed so as to have a uniformwidth, or the width of the compression-generating section may varydepending on position.

In the present embodiment, the leggings 100 preferably are so-called“next to the skin type” to be in direct contact with the skin when worn,in order to allow a wearer to put on the leggings 100 while lifting upsagging skin in above-knee regions with the leggings 100 being in closecontact with the legs. It is to be noted, however, that the presentinvention is not limited thereto, and the leggings may be a type ofleggings to be worn on stockings or the like, for example.

The leggings according to the present embodiment are configured so thata buttock portion thereof includes only the body sections 101. It is tobe noted, however, that the present invention is not limited thereto.For example, the present invention can be used in combination with agirdle having a function of lifting up the buttocks. For example,compression-generating sections further may be disposed on the back sideof the body sections 101 in such a manner that, when the leggings 100are worn, the compression-generating sections are located above theapices of the buttocks so as to extend along the Langer's lines in thebuttocks. These compression-generating sections can lift the buttocksupward and hold the buttocks in the upper part of the buttocks. Withthis configuration, the buttocks can be lifted up entirely with alift-up force generated in the upper part of the buttocks, whichprevents flabby flesh from remaining in the gluteal fold. Thus, thebuttocks of the wearer can be lifted up effectively, so that thebuttocks of the wearer can be shaped into a more favorable silhouette.

(Objective Wearing Evaluation 1)

The leggings 100 according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention were produced, and a wearing evaluation test was conducted.The leggings 100 used in the present evaluation were configured so that,as the compression-generating sections, three strip members are disposedso as to be spaced apart from each other in each body section, as shownin FIG. 3C. In the present evaluation, the compression-generatingsections 102 were formed using the material W. In the presentevaluation, each test user wearing the leggings 100 conductedpredetermined exercise, and the position of the skin around one of theknees was observed immediately after she put on the leggings 100 (beforethe exercise) and after the exercise. The details of the exercise wereas follows: bringing one of the thighs up and putting the hands togetherunder the thigh (three sets in total, with one time each for the rightand left thighs as one set); knee bends (three times); and a forwardbend and a back bend (one time each). Further, as a comparative example,the same test user wore leggings formed of the same material as theleggings 100 and not provided with compression-generating sections(i.e., the leggings composed of body sections 101 only), and in the samemanner as in the above, the position of the skin around the knee wasobserved immediately after she put on the leggings and after theexercise.

The results thereof are shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. In each of FIGS. 4Aand 4B, the diagram on the left shows a naked state, the diagram in themiddle shows the state where the leggings of the comparative examplewere worn, and the diagram on the right shows the state where theleggings 100 of the present invention were worn. These diagrams all showthe states observed after the exercise. FIGS. 4A and 4B show the resultsobtained by different test users. The test user shown in FIG. 4A hadonly slight skin sagging in the above-knee regions. Thus, there was notmuch difference between the states after the exercise. However, it canbe seen that, when the leggings 100 of the present invention were worn,the position of the skin around the knee was lifted up entirely, ascompared with the naked state. In contrast, when the leggings of thecomparative example were worn, the position of the skin in theabove-knee region became lower. This is presumably because the leggingsof the comparative example got loose during the exercise, and the skinbeing pressed under the compression thus moved downward. On the otherhand, the test user shown in FIG. 4B showed more notable differences inthe position of the skin around the knee among the respective states, ascompared with the test user shown in FIG. 4A. This is presumably becausethe test user shown in FIG. 4B had a higher degree of skin sagging inthe above-knee regions. Regarding the test user shown in FIG. 4B, it canbe seen that, when she wore the leggings 100 of the present invention,the skin around the knee, especially the skin in the above-knee region,was lifted up firmly, and the skin that has been lifted up did not movedownward after the exercise. These results demonstrate that the leggings100 of the present invention can shape a wearer's body into a favorablesilhouette by lifting up and smoothing sagging skin and also can keepthe silhouette even after exercise.

(Subjective Wearing Evaluation 1)

Test users wore the same leggings as used in the objective wearingevaluation 1. Five test users joined the evaluation. Three out of thefive test users commented that the leggings 100 of the present inventionwere less liable to get loose as compared with the leggings of thecomparative example. The other two test users commented that they didnot perceive the difference between the leggings 100 of the presentinvention and the leggings of the comparative example. Further, all thefive test users commented that the leggings 100 of the present inventiongave much less tightened feeling as compared with the leggings of thecomparative example. Still further, all the five test users commentedthat, when they wore the leggings 100 of the present invention, theycould lift up their knees more smoothly, as compared with the caseswhere they wore the leggings of the comparative example and they were inthe naked state. These results demonstrate that, while the leggings 100of the present invention allow a wearer to move easily and give lesstightened feeling to the wearer, they are less liable to get loose andcan keep a favorable silhouette.

The above results may be explained as follows. Specifically, the skin onbody regions to be wrinkled accompanying the joint motion such asbending tends to move away from the joint, whereas the skin on bodyregions to be stretched tends to gather around the joint. In a regionaround each knee joint, when the knee joint is bent, wrinkles on theskin on the front side of the knee joint are smoothed, so that the skinoften becomes taut. On the other hand, on the back side of the kneejoint, the skin tends to be taut when the knee joint is straightened atthe time of, e.g., kicking the ground. It is considered that theabove-described taut states of the skin narrow the movable range of theknee joints and hinder the movement. On this account, it is consideredthat the test users could move more smoothly because the leggings 100 ofthe present invention alleviated the taut states of the skin to broadenthe movable range of the knee joints.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 5 shows a shirt 200 according to the second embodiment of thepresent invention. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the shirt 200. The shirt 200of the present embodiment, which is a garment withcompression-generating sections, is a long-sleeved shirt (also referredto simply as “shirt” hereinafter) including sleeve sections 201 as bodysections that are tubular when the shirt 200 is worn. As shown in FIG.5, the shirt 200 of the present embodiment includes a bodice section 203and a pair of sleeve sections 201, and compression-generating sections202 are provided in the sleeve sections. For the body sections (sleevesections) 201 and the compression-generating sections 202, the samematerials as those described in the first embodiment can be used.Although the present embodiment is described with reference to anillustrative example where the garment with compression-generatingsections is a long-sleeved garment, the present invention is not limitedthereto.

In the present embodiment, body regions where skin sagging occurs arethe upper arms, and the compression-generating sections 202 are disposedso as to extend in directions along the Langer's lines above (i.e., theside closer to the torso) the upper arms. Thus, when a wearer puts herarms through the sleeves when putting on the shirt 200, sagging skins inthe upper arms are moved from above the elbows toward the shoulders (inthe direction orthogonal to the Langer's lines). In the state where theshirt 200 is worn, since the compression-generating sections 202 aredisposed in such a manner that the longitudinal directions thereofextend along the Langer's lines, the sleeve sections 201 are notdisplaced easily, so that the sagging skin in the upper arms that havebeen moved upward when putting on the shirt 200 can be held firmly.Accordingly, the shirt 200 can smooth the sagging skin in the upper armsto make a slimmer silhouette, and also can keep the silhouette even whenthe wearer moves. It is not necessary to provide thecompression-generating sections 202 so as to extend over the entirecircumferences of the tubular sleeve sections 201. Thus, the shirt 200gives less tightened feeling to a wearer.

In the present invention, the material of the bodice section 203 is notparticularly limited. The bodice section 203 may be formed of astretchable material so as to fit a wearer's body similarly to thesleeve sections 201, or may be formed of any other material.

Although the present embodiment has been described with reference to theillustrative example where the garment with compression-generatingsections is the long-sleeved shirt 200, the present invention is notlimited thereto. In the present invention, the garment may be ashort-sleeved shirt or outerwear such as a jacket, for example. Thesegarments also can exhibit the same effect as the long-sleeved shirt 200according to the present embodiment.

(Objective Wearing Evaluation 2)

Shirts 200 according to the second embodiment of the present inventionwere produced, and a wearing evaluation test was conducted. The shirts200 used in the present evaluation were configured so that, as thecompression-generating sections 202, three strip members are disposed soas to be spaced apart with each other in each body section as shown inFIG. 5. In the present evaluation, the compression-generating sections102 were formed using the material W. In the present evaluation, twotypes of body sections (sleeve sections) 201, namely, body sections thatprovide high compression and body sections that provide low compression,were produced, and for each type of body sections, thecompression-generating sections 202 were disposed in two different ways,namely, closer to the elbows or closer to the shoulders. In the presentevaluation, a test user wearing the shirt 200 conducted predeterminedexercise, and the position of the skin around one of the upper arms wasobserved from the back side of the test user immediately after she puton the shirt 200 (before the exercise) and after the exercise. Thedetails of the exercise were as follows: bringing one of the thighs upand putting the hands together under the thigh (three sets in total,with one time each for the right and left thighs as one set); a forwardbend and a back bend (one time each); and moving one of the arms up anddown in a circle (one time each for the right and left arms). Further,as a comparative example, the same test user wore a shirt formed of thesame material as the shirt 200 and not provided withcompression-generating sections, and in the same manner as in the above,the position of the skin around the upper arm was observed immediatelyafter she put on the shirt and after the exercise.

The results thereof are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 shows the resultsof the evaluation obtained regarding the shirt including the bodysections (sleeve sections) 201 that provide weak compression. FIG. 7shows the results of the evaluation obtained regarding the shirtincluding the body section (sleeve sections) 201 that provide strongcompression. In each of FIGS. 6 and 7, (a) shows a naked state, (b)shows the states where the shirt of the comparative example was worn,(c) shows the states where the shirt 200 with the compression-generatingsections 202 disposed closer to the elbows was worn, and (d) shows thestates where the shirt 200 with the compression-generating sections 202disposed closer to the shoulders was worn. In each of FIGS. 6 and 7, thediagrams on the left each show the state immediately after the test userput on the shirt (before the exercise), and the diagrams on the righteach show the state after the exercise. In FIGS. 6 and 7, thecompression-generating sections 202 are indicated with dashed lines.

As can be seen from the drawings, when the shirts of the presentinvention were worn, the position of the skin in the upper arm waslifted up as compared with the naked state and the state where the shirtof the comparative example was worn, regardless of the level of thecompression provided by the body sections (sleeve sections) 201. Inparticular, when the shirt with the compression-generating sectionsdisposed in the upper side (closer to the shoulders) of the bodysections was worn, the position of the skin in the upper arm was liftedfurther upward. Also, it can be seen that, when the shirts of thepresent invention were worn, the position of the skin did not movedownward even after the exercise. These results demonstrate that theshirt 200 of the present invention can shape a wearer's body into afavorable silhouette by lifting up and smoothing sagging skin and alsocan keep the silhouette after exercise.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 8 shows a bodysuit 300 according to the third embodiment of thepresent invention. FIG. 8 is a rear view of the bodysuit 300. Thebodysuit 300 of the present embodiment, which is a garment withcompression-generating sections, includes: a bodysuit body section 301that is tubular when the bodysuit 300 is worn; andcompression-generating sections 302. In the bodysuit 300, thecompression-generating sections 302 are disposed in such a manner that,when the bodysuit 300 is worn, they extend in directions along Langer'slines that pass near the inferior angles of the scapulae. For thebodysuit body section 301 and the compression-generating sections 302,the same materials as those described in the first embodiment can beused.

A preferable manner to put on this bodysuit 300 will be described below.FIG. 9 illustrates how to put on the bodysuit 300 in chronological orderfrom the left. As shown in FIG. 9, when a wearer puts on the bodysuit300, it is preferable to insert the legs and pull up the bodysuit 300along the back while keeping the state where the bodysuit 300 is notapart from (i.e., in close contact with) the back. By putting on thebodysuit 300 in this manner, the flesh on the back is lifted upentirely, and the flesh on the back that has been lifted up is held bythe compression-generating sections 302 located near the inferior anglesof the scapulae. Thus, the silhouette of the back can be shapedeffectively.

FIG. 10 illustrates an effect obtained by wearing the bodysuit 300according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 10, (a) is a rear viewshowing a naked state, (b) is a rear view showing the state where thebodysuit 300 according to the third embodiment was worn, and (c) is arear view showing the state where a conventional bodysuit withoutcompression-generating sections was worn. When the conventional bodysuitwithout compression-generating sections is worn, although a slightbody-shaping effect is obtained by the tightening force of the bodysuititself, sagging skin on the back still remains in the state of beingtightened even after the bodysuit is worn. In contrast, the bodysuit 300according to the third embodiment can lift up and hold sagging skin onthe back, and thus can shape the wearer's body into a silhouette inwhich the sagging skin is less conspicuous. Furthermore, it is notnecessary to provide a tightening section that tightens the entirewaist, and the compression-generating sections can hold the flesh on theback in the upper part of the back. Therefore, the bodysuit 300according to the third embodiment can prevent the formation ofdifference in height on the wearer's body line caused when edge parts ofthe bodysuit 300 dig into the skin, and also gives less tightenedfeeling to the wearer.

The present invention has been described above with reference tospecific examples thereof, namely, leggings, a long-sleeved shirt, and abodysuit. It is to be noted, however, that the garment withcompression-generating sections according to the present invention isnot limited to those given as the specific examples, and can be embodiedin various forms. For example, the present invention is applicable notonly to the garments described in the above embodiments, but also tovarious other garments including tank tops, short-sleeved shirts,garments such as upper body garments that can be put on and taken offusing buttons etc., and underwear.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The garment with compression-generating sections according to thepresent invention can shape a wearer's body into a favorable silhouetteby smoothing sagging skin and also can keep the silhouette even when thewearer moves, while giving less tightened feeling to the wearer. Thepresent invention can be embodied in various forms, and is applicable tovarious garments such as, for example, body-shaping garments other thanthose described in the above embodiments, sportswear, outerwear, andmedical garments (e.g., supporters).

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   100: garment with compression-generating sections (leggings)-   200: garment with compression-generating sections (long-sleeved    shirt)-   300: garment with compression-generating sections (bodysuit)-   101, 301: body section-   201: body section (sleeve section)-   102, 202, 302: compression-generating section-   203: bodice section

1. A garment with a compression-generating section, the garmentcomprising: at least one body section comprising a portion that istubular when the garment is worn; and at least onecompression-generating section, wherein the body section is stretchableso as to fit a wearer's body, the compression-generating section isdisposed in such a manner that, when the garment is worn, thecompression-generating section is located above a body region where skinsagging occurs and extends in a direction along Langer's lines, and thecompression-generating section has lower stretchability than the bodysection at least in an insertion direction in order to increasecompression provided by a portion of the garment where thecompression-generating section is disposed.
 2. The garment according toclaim 1, wherein when the garment is worn, the compression-generatingsection causes a larger frictional force per unit area than the bodysection with respect to the wearer's body.
 3. The garment according toclaim 1, wherein the garment is a bottom garment, and thecompression-generating sections are disposed in above-knee portions ofthe bottom garment.
 4. The garment according to claim 1, wherein thegarment is an upper body garment, and the compression-generatingsections are disposed in such a manner that, when the upper body garmentis worn, the compression-generating sections extend in directions alongLanger's lines that pass near inferior angles of scapulae.
 5. Thegarment according to claim 1, wherein the garment is an upper bodygarment, and the compression-generating sections are disposed in upperarm portions of the upper body garment.
 6. The garment according toclaim 2, wherein the garment is a bottom garment, and thecompression-generating sections are disposed in above-knee portions ofthe bottom garment.
 7. The garment according to claim 2, wherein thegarment is an upper body garment, and the compression-generatingsections are disposed in such a manner that, when the upper body garmentis worn, the compression-generating sections extend in directions alongLanger's lines that pass near inferior angles of scapulae.
 8. Thegarment according to claim 2, wherein the garment is an upper bodygarment, and the compression-generating sections are disposed in upperarm portions of the upper body garment.